Abstract
In This Issue...
Metabolic diseases affect millions of people worldwide. Thousands of metabolic
diseases have been identified in humans, yet just a handful of these diseases
account for the vast majority of the morbidity and mortality. The World Health
Organization (WHO) estimates that type 2 diabetes affects 135 million people
worldwide and that 300 million people meet the criteria for obesity.
Dyslipidemia is another major metabolic disorder, affecting approximately 300
million people in the United States, Japan, and Western Europe.
Because these three disorders--type 2 diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia--are
highly prevalent and lead to significant morbidity and mortality, they are the
main focus of this report. We also discuss several metabolic disorders that
are less severe but account for significant morbidity. These disorders include
"metabolic syndrome" (which comprises several conditions), polycystic ovarian
syndrome (PCOS), and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). (We do not discuss
hypertension, a common feature of metabolic syndrome, in this report because
it is multifactorial in origin and not generally considered a metabolic
disorder.)
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